Giving Commerce the go by : Looking beyond Science, Arts
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: April 11 2015 -

Lack of choice. On a bigger canvas it could well boil down to a question of lack of opportunities.

Manipur has a number of good schools some of which have produced the present who is who of the State.

Something to be proud of. Flip the coin and it is also pathetically true that some of the best schools here have no chance of catching up with schools in other parts of the country.

This is the saddest part, especially in this age when education is the by word for climbing the ladder of success.

The situation is more dismal when one looks at what passes off as education here at the college stage, that is after Standard XII.

No wonder thousands of students go outside the State to pursue higher education, not because all the parents and guardians are well placed, but because of the compelling need to educate their children.

With Manipur University now a Central University, things may have taken a turn for the better at the university level, but then it also stands that it is not only buildings and laboratories that define a university.

An important point which should not blow over the heads of the people responsible for running the daily affairs of the varsity.

In other words, despite the lack of opportunities and the absence of any competitive college, the youngsters of Manipur have not been doing badly when compared with students from other parts of the country.

Despite the commendable performance put up by the young students of the State, it is nonetheless important to take a hard look at the state of education here.

A pity it is, but the fact stands that for years the people as a whole and the so called leaders of the land have failed to look beyond the stream of Science and Arts when it comes to education after the 10+2 stage.

There are a number of competitive institutions offering Science and Arts, but Commerce has been given the go by.

Time to shed the mindset that Commerce is meant to be only for businessmen, traders or those who are going to inherit a business house.

Nothing could be further from the truth than this presumption. Time also right for educationists to question why no importance has been given to this stream of learning.

More importantly why has no school or college given the due importance to this subject.

Education can never be completed as long as there is forced choice or selection.

This is the age of knowledge and due importance should be given to all the streams of learning.

Time for the Government to come around to this idea and shed the presumption that commerce is important only for businessmen and traders.

This is not a case of batting for one stream over the other but stressing the need to make the understanding of education more rounded and more balanced. Give equal importance to all streams of knowledge.

This is what the modern day gurus of education will stress and rightfully so.

Also important to take note than the plus 2 stage is not a stop gap arrangement for higher studies.